My wife and I were at Sandals Negril in Oct/Nov 2003 and had a fabulous time. The resort staff couldn't have been friendlier. Here's a link to our writeup and photos from the trip: http://home.earthlink.net/~mathis909/jamaica/index.htm
My first diving experience was a resort course on that trip. I had nothing to compare it with at the time, of course. In hindsight, the DMs were helpful and competent, if pretty laid back. The water was gorgeous (see the website pictures). The reefs and sealife were just so-so, although at the time I thought they were fantastic. Certified divers were allowed three tanks per day, I think. The trips were all one-tankers, but the dive sites were generally within 20 minutes of the resort.
There was no surf at all during our trip. Again, check the photos. It was bathtub flat at the beach. Outside the bay, there were little swells, maybe 2 feet. I spent many happy hours sailing off the beach in a Sunfish, so you know it couldn't have been very rough.
Bottom line, if this is going to be primarily a dive trip, Jamaica may not be your best bet. If it's going to be a vacation with some diving, I don't think you can beat Sandals.
My first diving experience was a resort course on that trip. I had nothing to compare it with at the time, of course. In hindsight, the DMs were helpful and competent, if pretty laid back. The water was gorgeous (see the website pictures). The reefs and sealife were just so-so, although at the time I thought they were fantastic. Certified divers were allowed three tanks per day, I think. The trips were all one-tankers, but the dive sites were generally within 20 minutes of the resort.
There was no surf at all during our trip. Again, check the photos. It was bathtub flat at the beach. Outside the bay, there were little swells, maybe 2 feet. I spent many happy hours sailing off the beach in a Sunfish, so you know it couldn't have been very rough.
Bottom line, if this is going to be primarily a dive trip, Jamaica may not be your best bet. If it's going to be a vacation with some diving, I don't think you can beat Sandals.